By Hank Wesch
STAKES NOMINATIONS: PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS
Think of stakes nominations lists as racing’s counterpart to movie trailers.
They provide information about the players, stimulate thought regarding general plotlines and can pique the interest of both serious and casual fans enough to prompt the making of plans for attendance.
The deadline for nominations for the final nine stakes of the Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar was Thursday at midnight.
One day earlier, trainer Art Sherman had boosted the Grade I $300,000 Hollywood Derby on November 29 (or the Native Diver on the same day) to potential blockbuster status by designating it a starring vehicle for Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome. Thursday morning, the list of those intending to steal the show from Chrome was completed.
For the Hollywood Derby, 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-olds, among the names on the list of 22 nominations in addition to California Chrome, are Home Run Kitten, Lexie Lou, Long On Value, Lucky J. Lane, Red Outlaw and Shiva Ryan.
The filly Lexie Lou won the Queen’s Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, against males in July and has gone 2-for-3 in turf stakes since being switched to grass in August. In accordance with scale weight rules, Lexie Lou would carry 119 pounds, three less than the males.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott nominated Long On Value and Tourist. Long On Value won the Twilight Derby, 1 1/8 miles on turf, under Rosie Napravnik on Friday, Oct. 31, on the Breeders’ Cup opening day undercard. Tourist was runner-up to Adelaide in the Secretariat Stakes on Arlington Million Day, August 16 at Arlington Park.
Should California Chrome go in the Native Diver, there are 19 other nominees. Among them: Big Cazanova, who set a Del Mar Polytrack record for 1 1/8 miles, the Native Diver distance, going 1:48.85 in an allowance event last August 28.
A quick look at some of the prominent horses nominated for upcoming graded stakes.
$100,000 Grade III Red Carpet Handicap (Formerly Beverly Hills Handicap), 1 3/8 miles on turf, older fillies and mares, Saturday, November 22, 19 nominations – Bee Brave, Bound For Eden, Lady Pimpernel, Luvly Rita.
$250,000 Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup, 1 ½ miles on turf, 3-year-olds and up, Thursday, November 27, 15 nominations – Bench Light, Finnegan’s Wake, Golden Soul, Little Jerry, Mystery Train, Patrioticandproud, Sky Kingdom.
$250,000 Grade II Seabiscuit (formerly Citation) Handicap, 1 1/16 miles on turf, 3-year-olds and up, Friday, November 28, 23 nominations – Bahamian Squall, Fredericksburg, Home Run Kitten, Kaigun. Tom’s Tribute.
$150,000 Grade III Jimmy Durante (formerly Miesque) Stakes, one mile on turf, 2-year-old fillies, Saturday, November 29, 24 nominations -- Backstreet Lisa, Conquest Harlanate, Holiday Maker, Flat Footed Mama, Quality Rocks.
$150,000 Grade III Cecil B. DeMille (formerly Generous) Stakes, one mile on turf, 2-year-olds, Sunday, November 30, 30 nominations – Alright Alright, Conquest Typhoon, Every May, Grand Sky, Itsinthepost, Rock Shandy.
$300,000 Grade I Matriarch, one mile on turf, older fillies and mares, Sunday, November 30, 18 nominations – Discreet Marq, Kadaya, La Tia, Lexie Lou.
PRIME ENGINE FAVORED FOR SATURDAY’S BOB HOPE STAKES
Prime Engine, a son of Northern Afleet with victories in his first two starts at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash., is the 3-1 morning line favorite in a field of nine for Saturday’s $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes.
Owned by Mark Dedomenico and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Prime Engine blew away the Northwest Region competition by 10 ¼ lengths in his racing debut on September 13 at 5 ½ furlongs and successfully stretched out to 1 1/16 miles with a 5 ½ length victory in the $64,000 Gottstein Futurity on September 25.
The 7-furlong, Grade III Bob Hope for 2-year-olds is the first of nine graded stakes in the Bing Crosby Season. The field, from the rail out:
Sebastian’s Heart (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Story to Tell (Joe Talamo, 8-1), Diamond Majesty (Martin Pedroza, 9-2), Prime Engine (Mike Smith, 3-1), Every May (Saul Arias, 15-1), Alright Alright (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), No Problem (Victor Espinoza, 15-1), St. Joe Bay (Elvis Trujillo, 5-1).
FIELD OF FIVE SET FOR SUNDAY’S DESI ARNAZ STAKES
Light The City, victorious in her first two career starts, heads a field of five for Sunday’s $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
The Desi Arnaz will go as the second on a nine-race program which starts at 12:30 p.m.
The field, from the rail out: Light the City (Elvis Trujillo, 7-5), Maybelline (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Into Oblivion (Mike Smith, 5-2), Achiever’s Legacy (Drayden Van Dyke, 4-1) and Xoxo (Edwin Maldonado, 8-1).
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BING
For the inaugural Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar, we offer a daily note, quote or anecdote about the track’s founding father for whom the fall meeting is named.
At the behest of Bing Crosby, camera engineer Lorenzo Del Riccio of Paramount Pictures invented the photo-finish camera and it was installed at Del Mar during its opening season in 1937. Within several years, virtually every major racetrack in the country had a photo-finish camera and today all recognized racetracks around the world have one.
BAIRD, NAHILL, ON WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS
Former Union-Tribune photographer and veteran handicapper Jim Baird will be the selections-providing guest on Saturday, and U-T San Diego handicapper and blogger Jeff Nahill will do the honors on Sunday for Del Mar’s free weekend handicapping seminars.
The sessions commence at 11:30 a.m. at the Seaside Terrace near the top of the stretch.
“DAYBREAK AT DEL MAR” ON TAP TRACKSIDE ON SATURDAYS
“Daybreak at Del Mar,’ the morning breakfast-while-watching-the-workouts program that has proven popular at Del Mar over the years, will be back on board Saturday morning for all to see and enjoy.
The sessions, which run from 8 to 10 a.m. each Saturday throughout the fall meet, feature tasty breakfast fare in the track’s Clubhouse Terrace Restaurant overlooking the stretch just past the finish line, while former rider and current horse syndicate owner and manager Jeff Bloom provides colorful bits of information and commentary.
Fans can park in the track’s main lot, then come through the Clubhouse gate and up the escalator to the second floor and the restaurant. Though “Daybreak” itself is free, there is a $10 parking charge for all cars entering the grounds. However, anyone spending $25 or more on their breakfast bill will have the price of the parking fee subtracted from their bill.
CLOSERS -- Wake Up Nick, winner of the Graduation and I’m Smokin Stakes here last summer, and an early nominee for Saturday’s Bob Hope Stakes, is instead headed for Delta Downs in Vinton, La., and the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot … Jockey Joe Talamo, 24, notched career win No. 1,500 aboard Ol’ Fashion Gal in Thursday’s fourth race for trainer Mark Casse.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, November 13, 2014 Inclusive)
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
Money Won |
Elvis Trujillo |
20 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
25% |
$162,494 |
Martin Pedroza |
13 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
31% |
$135,974 |
Tyler Baze |
23 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
13% |
$91,360 |
Fernando Perez |
11 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
27% |
$90,130 |
Mike Smith |
10 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
30% |
$167,590 |
Tiago Pereira |
13 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
15% |
$81,880 |
Kent Desormeaux |
17 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
12% |
$61,220 |
Alex Solis |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
33% |
$69,340 |
Joseph Talamo |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
29% |
$73,650 |
Drayden Van Dyke |
21 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
5% |
$66,858 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, November 13, 2014 Inclusive)
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
Money Won |
Mike Puype |
12 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
25% |
$126,620 |
Peter Miller |
14 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
14% |
$74,408 |
Leandro Mora |
17 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
12% |
$84,554 |
Robert B. Hess, Jr. |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
33% |
$41,930 |
Barry Abrams |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
33% |
$78,520 |
Richard Baltas |
10 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
20% |
$88,040 |
Jorge Periban |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
$24,000 |
John W. Sadler |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
22% |
$78,580 |
Philip D'Amato |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
20% |
$36,558 |
Jerry Hollendorfer |
8 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
13% |
$53,170 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, November 13, 2014 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 12 out of 35 -- 34.29%
Winning favorites on Polytrack -- 9 out of 21 -- 42.86%
Winning favorites on turf -- 3 out of 14 -- 21.43%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 3 -- 33.33%
In-the-Money favorites -- 18 out of 35 -- 51.43%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 3 -- 33.33%
Friday, November 14, 2014 Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793